Internal combustion rotary engine



A. DEMUYNCK INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE Aug. 11, 1931.

Filed June 2, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. DEMUYNCK INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY ENGINE Aug. 11, 1931.

Filed June 2, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Patented Aug. 11, 1931 UNITED STATES ALPHONSE DEMUYNC'K, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM INTERNAL COMBUSTION ROTARY Application filed Tune-2, 1927, Serial No. 198,078, and in Belgium .Tune 5, 1926.

This invention relates to an internal combustion engine of the rotary-piston type, which efliciently utilizes the energy of expansion of an explosive mixture, previously com- 5 ressed, and the explosion of which is prouced partly in a closed chamber, and partly in therotor body of the engine.

For this purpose the engine ,is essentially characterized by a rotor, which has a num 10 her of arcual cavities or expansion chambers separated by solid parts forming pistons in these ,arcual cavities which pistons engage witheasy' contact the solid sectors of a closing member, which sectors, in their turn form abutments behind the expansion chambers, to confine the gases wthin the prescribed limits. The expansion is obtained only by the motion of a piston under the effect of the ga ressure OIIltS rear face. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent in Fig. 1 a vertical section of one motor-element according to the invention, the complete engine being constituted hi the juxta osition on the same drivings aft of mo (1 number of such elements.

Fig. 2 is an an'al section of a stator or cas ing o said element, and

' 3 is an elevation showing means for axia y reciprocating the rotary distributor valve and the inlet for the explosive mixture.

The rotor 1 is a solid disc having three arcual recesses or cavities called expansion chambers 2, extendin throughout the thickness of the disc.

solid parts 3 called pistons or partitipns, the profile of each of which is simllar to that of an epicycloidal gear tooth.

This profile is determined by the single condition of obtaining'an eflicient closing contact with the corresponding flanks of the solid sectors of the rotary closing member 4 and noefl'ect has to be transmitted betweenthese contacting surfaces. Each of the pistons, 3 carries two or more lateral packing stri 5 at each side, as well as peripheral ac strips upon its outer face, which aford equate gas-tight contact with the surroun engine casing or stator 6.

. m w Inc or obviate or minimize the fricey are separated by tional wear of the rotor against the internal wall of the stator or casing 6 which might be caused by the expansion (although the stator is very efliciently cooled by a Water-j acket) a small clearance may be allowed between the two when the engine is at low temperature,

the gas-tight closure being .efliciently secured by the packing strips as stated above.

The cylindrical base of the expansion chambers is constituted by moving segments 8, extending throughout the thickness of the rotor; each of these segments has bevelled edges and is provided at the end with a lug 9 havlng an opening 9. Said lug engages in a corresponding .radial recess 10 with which the rotor is provided and the rotor also has a fixed pin 10 which projects into said recess and enters the openlng 9 andis of slightly .less diameter than sa1d opening. The seglocated. The closure of the explosion-chamher will thus be perfectly secured. p The rotary closing member 4 isconstituted by a disc of the same outside dimensions as regards diameter and thickness as the moving rotor. It has three substantially solid parts 11, called closing-sectors or abutments, designed so as to engage with easy contact, the surfaces bounding the cavities 2 of the rotor 1. The profiles of the flanks of these sectors are such as to satisfy'the same single condition of the rolling contact for the istons 3 of the rotor, that is to say, said pro lesapproximate to those of gear teeth. This condition also decides the profile of the three cavities 12 of the closing member 4, in which recesses engage the-pistons "3 'of the rotor 1.

In orderto obtain equal expansions at every point, the stator or casing 6 containing the rotor 1 and closing member 4, as well as the explosion chamber 13 and the stator or casing Y 14" of the explosive mixture distributor isx m I cast in a single piece, the whole being envelopedin an external casing 15 containing cooling water.

The dimension of the explosion chamber 13, measured in direction parallel with the axis of the rotor 1 is less than that of the piston 3.measured in the same direction, so that at all times the packing strips will be retained in operative position on said piston.

The cooling may be obtained or controlled by means of a thermosiphon, the general intake of the water being at 16. The difference of density establishes a double current, the cold water going upwards for its greater part through the compartment 16 towards the triangular canal 7 between the explosion chamber 13 and the stator of the rotating distributor, thus efficiently cooling the parts which are exposed to the greatest heating action.

The heated water rises into the compartment 16" through canals 7 formed in the body of the stator, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and is discharged through the port 17 towards the radiator. The water, con tained in the compartment 16", surrounding the stator of the distributor is renewedslowly by the water coming from the triangular canal 7, so that a mean constant average temperature is preserved around the distributor.

The distributor of the explosive mixture 1 is of a rotary type, and is constituted by a cylinder 14, V turning at the same angular speed as does the moving rotor 1. To this end the shaft 22 of the rotary closing member 4, which is geared with that (21) of the rotor 1 by equal gears represented in Fig. 1 by the dotted pitch circles 23, is geared with the rotating cylinder 14 by equal gears 24. The

'cylinder 14, has three openings 14 for each element of the rotor, the width of which is such as to open, for a short time only, the intake aperture 13 of the explosion chamber 13, which time'is determined by the stroke of the rotor and the moment of ignition. This distributor turns upon a fixed central cylinder 14, thedelivering port 14 of which is in line with the port opening into the explosion chamber 13. This arrangement of double cylinders assures a perfect closure v and shields the moving cylinder 14 from the movement of small amplitude. The rotary cylinder 14 may, for this purpose, have fast The inner part ofthe central fixed cylinder maybe provided with a metallic gauze 28 to revent the flame from passing through the distributor to the compressor.

This compressor which may be of any suitable construction will deliver volumes of gaseous mixture, varying following the speed of rotation, which variation is obtained by throttling the inlet 27, so as to obtain a Suficient pressure in the distributor for filling the double explosion chamber during the short duration of the opening.

The inlet pipe communicates with the interior of the cylinder 14 and a suitable gastight joint is provided between thecylinder 14 and the engme casing.

The distributor must be entirely closed when the edge of a piston 3 has ,partly opened the aperture of the explosion chamber (which is the phase indicated in Fig. 1), at which juncture the sparking plug at 18 will ignite the mixture.

The complete explosion chamber is composed of the explosion chamber 13 and the space 20 of the expansion chamber comprised at the moment of ignition between the respective piston 3 and the corresponding abutment of the closing member 4, which at the time have been filled with explosive mixture. The volume of these two spaces is such that the gases resulting from the combustion will be able to attain an efficient degree of expansion, before the moment, at which the next A following wall of the rotor will shut the proper explosion chamber 13, and before the gases will exhaust through the outlet 19, which precaution is necessary in order to avoid selfignition by the residual gases of the fresh gases which enter the explosion chamber immediately thereafter.

The action of the expanding burnt gases is utilized entirely on the back surfaces of the sive mixture which is to be admitted is comvparatively small about 7 0 c; cms. at the usual expansion ratio fora rotor of 18 cm. diameter, and an expansion chamber 6 cm. wide and 4 cm. deep.

.pistons 3, called the active surfaces to pro-" Thecycle of operation of the motor 'is as I follows: When the port of the rotating distributing device 14 comes in front of the port of the conduit 13, the compressed gas which had been compressed before by a compressor and is fed by the said conduit, enters and fills the chamber 13 and the space 20 which forms the explosion chamber. The distributing device, in continuing its rotative movement, then closes the opening ofthe conduit 13. At this instant the spark plug ignites the explosive mixture, and the resultant expansion following the explosion causes, the piston 3 to be shifted, which will turn with it the motor through the ports of the distributing device 14;, which successively registerwith the port 14! and chamber 13 and thus the cycle is repeated for each expansion chamber.

In order to obtain a practically constant turning moment, it will be advantageous to employ a number of the elements described above by juxtaposing them on the same driving shaft, each element having preferably a separate stator element such as is shown in Fig. 2. These elements, after adjustment, are assembledwith interposed locating rings or segments 29 which ensure an eflicient jointing and centering of adjacent elements, and

are finally fixed together by tie rods and nuts. The number of the expansion chambers 2 for each rotor element 1 is given by way of example, and may be reduced to two or increased to four, according to the diameters adopted, and the quantities of the explosive mixture which it is desired to be admitted for each explosion. y

The closing member 4. and the distributing cylinder. 14 will be correspondingly modified. What I do claim as my invention, and de sire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In an internal combustion engine of the rotary piston type, a rotary closing member having peripheral recesses, a rotor having pistons arranged to engage in said recesses and alsohavihg recesses in its periphery between the bases of said pistons, the side walls of each recess being parallel, said rotor also 3 having radial recesses in its ends which are midway between said side walls of said peripheral recesses, segments in said peripheral recesses of the rotor arranged to engage the periphery of the closing member and movable radially with respect to the rotor and also tangentially, the sides of each segment being parallel and corresponding with those of said recesses, said segments having. -radial lugs at their ends arranged in said-*r'fiiial recesses of the rotor, said rotor having pivots by which said lugs are mounted in saidradial grooves for slight radial and tangential movement of said segments.

In'witness whereof I aflix my signature.

ALPHQNSE DEMUYNCK. 

